How many of you Break with your main playing Cue or use a break cue / house cue

PoolFan101

PoolFan101

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello ,

Just out of curiosity I wonder how many of you use your main player cue to break with or do you use a break cue or house cue. I never liked breaking with my main player cue as I always felt like it put more stress on the shaft than need be and also the tip. But I have a friend who is a very strong player who always breaks with his playing cue and said if he couldn’t he would not have it. He has had some nice cues to. What got me to thinking about this is I have contemplated getting a break cue in the future, but I was looking playing in a 9 ball tournament and had to ask for a house cue to break with and every time I turned around I had to run it down as someone would walk away with it. So I thought it would be a lot simpler if I just break with my cue. I break pretty hard sometimes I get the cue ball when I hit square on the 1 to jump about a foot in the air off the table if I get my wrist to snap at the right moment. What is your guys thoughts on it and what do you use. Thanks
 
Texas Carom Club

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
im going back to my old players sneaky for playing and breaking,
i flip flop all the time
 
David in FL

David in FL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I prefer my break cue. More because of the much harder tip than a concern that I’ll damage my play cue.

Goofing around in a bar, I use my old Meucci sneaky pete to play and break...
 
fastone371

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
I break with my player, I have a break cue but I dont like it. As important as the break is I dont understand why people would pick up a cue that they rarely use for the most important shot of the game.
 
SSDiver2112

SSDiver2112

2b || !2b t^ ?
Damage to the tip seems obvious to me especially with a softer tip. A flat or mushroomed tip will affect your play. The more efficiently energy is transferred to the cue ball the better the break. I had borrowed another player's heavy break cue and thought that was the way to go. I added weight to one of my cues and was going to switch the tip to a harder break tip. In the interim I got the opportunity to get a Pechauer Black Ice shaft, so I swapped out the shaft instead of the tip. I did think it was better, however something didn't feel right. I pulled the extra weight I had added out of the butt and bam, way better! I love my breaker and I can baby the tip shaped the way I like on my player.
My recommendation based on your good snappy break any good solid cue with a break tip should work great for you. Spend a little or a lot based on you preference, but I wouldn't jump on the heavy battering ram bandwagon.
 
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jason

jason

Unprofessional everything
Silver Member
I always break with my playing cue. I hit them pretty good and have never had a tip mushroom on me.
 
G

Geosnooker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In American Pool I never use a break cue.

I don’t need power. Im hitting at perhaps 75% of potential and that’s more than sufficient. I’m weighing risk and playing general position.

Never had an issue with tip or cue damage in 51 years.
 
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T

The_JV

'AZB_Combat Certified'
I carry a jump/break but use whatever I need at the moment.

Breaker: solid maple shaft with phenolic tip = High deflection
-Used for straight on head ball breaks
-Easy to get the "pop 'n' stop"

Player: Pred Z2 with hard tip = Very low deflection
-Used for cut breaks or low velocity (template) breaks
-I prefer the added CB control if I'm dropping something consistently

I don't worry about damaging my player. I tend to swing at regular shots pretty hard if it calls for it.
 
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Biloxi Boy

Biloxi Boy

Man With A Golden Arm
8 or 9 Ball -- J/B, all others -- player. Before I owned a J/B, I used a house cue for power breaks. If I was rich and not emotionally attached to my player, I would use player for everything as I think the amount of control gained outweighs any loss of power (due to leather vs. phenolic tips).

I think the idea of using a house cue goes back to the days when adhesives, joints, ferrules, and construction techniques did not produce as strong cues we have today. Remember, early two piece cues employed wooden screws. Also, two piece cues and cue mechanics were not as common as hens teeth as they are today, so if your player went out, you had a serious problem. Further, cue failure associated with breaking probably resulted more often from repeated stress, with resulting weakening and loosening, than from a spectacular shattering.

But here is a problem: today's stainless steel joints can endure breaking, but coupling a strong component with wood increases the stress on the wood and the liklihood of failure. All things being equal (ignoring taper) the stress of breaking would be equally distributed along the cue. (Technical folks probably have a name for this phenomena.)
 
PoolFan101

PoolFan101

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yea I guess SS joint cues would take the abuse a little better but what about wood to wood joint cues. My Son has a old Meucci Sneaky Pete I am. Particularly found of. I play with it most of the time. My other son has a players cue that Often gets mistaken for a Meucci and I like it as well. Both are wood to wood joints
 
pwd72s

pwd72s

recreational banger
Silver Member
I use a pechauer break cue. My Josey playing cue is a radial joint. So, to save the joint & tip.
 
boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I just started breaking with my main player again. I had a break cue, but idiot drunks dinged the hell out of the shaft so it's annoying to use until I get it fixed. Long story but don't leave any cue you care about unattended.

I have a hard techno dud tip on my main cue so it holds up fine, I mean I'm not gorilla forcing the break anyway. It's much nicer to keep the feel of your playing cue than using some break cue that hits nothing like your player. I broke with it for a decade and then chickened out and started using house cues and a break cue, but honestly there's no point. A well constructed cue won't be harmed with breaking. I use a hard tip anyway so mushrooming isn't a thing, also it's non layered so no chance of de-lamination.

EDIT: Maple shaft, not a low deflection guy so this probably figures in too.
 
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David in FL

David in FL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
fastone371 said:
I break with my player, I have a break cue but I dont like it. As important as the break is I dont understand why people would pick up a cue that they rarely use for the most important shot of the game.
Click to expand...

The same reason that I have a driver in my golf bag, though I only use it for a dozen shots out of 80 or so every round. It’s a better tool for the job.
 
Poolmanis

Poolmanis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I use playing cue and I would like to use breaker but those cues normally have huge deflection compared LD and it is making most important aspect of breaking inconsistent for me. I mean accuracy. So until I find good break cue with LD i will use my player.
 
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